1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to logic information handling systems, and more particularly to a logic control system for a badge reader as used in access control systems, item-dispensing systems or factory management systems responsive to information recorded on an employee badge, a credit card or other recording medium.
2. Prior Art
Automated control systems responsive to data encoded on recording mediums such as credit cards or employee badges are known in the art. The data has been encoded as raised areas on a card for use with mechanical reading systems employing static contacts, and as optically reflective areas or lines superimposed on a card for use with light source and sensor configurations. Data further has been encoded as punched holes in a card for use with light source and sensor configurations as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,160 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Still further, data has been recorded as magnetically encoded strips and as encoded information written on a card with magnetic ink for use with magnetic reading systems.
The mechanical systems have proved to be unreliable in an environment requiring repeated use on a continual basis because of contact element misalignment and wear.
The optical, magnetic ink and magnetic strip systems have typically employed badge reader swipe means wherein a badge is passed between guide members of an open slot. Such systems have proved to be unreliable because of data errors caused by the multiplicity of hand movements and badge orientations which may occur as a badge user passes a read station.
A further problem area is that the optical reflectors, punched holes, magnetic ink and magnetic strip methods of encoding information on a card or badge may be easily duplicated or altered by unauthorized users.
In order to limit the hand motions which may be available to a badge user, badge insertion rather than badge swipe means have been employed. The badge insertion readers, however, have continued to be susceptible to incorrect badge orientation, erratic hand insertion motions, and unauthorized badges.
An innovation which is proposed to at least partially overcome the ease with which badges may be altered for unauthorized use is the encoding of information by means of bistable magnetic wires embedded within a badge. Such wires are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,090. Most badges now in use, however, have recorded thereon digital information encoded in a two-dimensional data matrix form which is compatible with standards proposed by the Credit Card Standards Committee of the American Standards Institute. Such a two-dimensional data matrix encoding is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,160 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In order to avoid a major badge reader system modification in adapting to a bistable magnetic wire encoded badge, a logic control system is needed which may accommodate binary information streams formed from reading bistable magnetic wire encoded information, and format such information into a form compatible with the two-dimensional data matrix encodings now in use.
The present invention is directed to a logic control system for interrogating an information stream read from a badge encoded through the use of bistable magnetic wires to detect incorrect badge orientations, unauthorized badges and abnormal badge motions which may cause data read errors. The logic control system further formats the information stream into a form compatible with two-dimensional data matrix information stream formats.